Tuesday May 22

Art of the Plant Vernissage

The Canadian Museum of Nature marks International Day of Biodiversity with special events and officially launches the Art of the Plant exhibition.

Wednesday May 23 to Friday May 25

Art of the Plant Botanical Art Conference

The Art of the Plant Steering Committee, Canadian Museum of Nature and Canada Agriculture and Farm Museum jointly welcome botanical artists from across Canada to the nation’s capital to celebrate this milestone exhibition event and Art of the Plant Botanical Art Conference. Participants are invited to enjoy a complement of guided tours, instructional workshops and speaker presentations led by specialists over the duration of the three-day conference.

Join Jennifer Doubt, Curator, National Herbarium of Canada, and Marcel Jomphe, Botanical Illustrator, Rimouski, Quebec, for a presentation: The Art and Science of Botanical Illustration – how illustrations are created from herbarium specimens.

Thursday May 24 and Friday May 25 Venue

Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, Ottawa, Ontario

Its state-of-the-art Learning Centre offers the ideal location to host the Art of the Plant Botanical Art Conference, where all speaker presentations will be held. A demonstration farm with lambs, goats, horses and a dairy barn in the heart of Ottawa, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is renowned for its world-class scientific research and preservation of architectural heritage.

Note: Lunch will be from noon to 1 pm at the
Learning Centre, Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

Guest Speaker: Adventures, with plants

Pamela speaks on painting, kayaking in Canada’s north, hosting a radio program and – always – looking for interesting plants. Join her as she talks about the passions that have driven her life’s journey.

Guest Speaker: Local Native Plants and Their Pollinators

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Michael Runtz, Botanist and Naturalist, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
Michael’s highly visual (and stimulating) presentation on many aspects of local flowers promises to be very entertaining!

Thursday Evening

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Enjoy free admission to the Canadian Museum of Nature for you and your guests.

Guest Speaker: Remarkable Goldenrod

Take a tour of Solidago altissima, a beautiful native wildflower and biodiversity superhero that hosts a number of insects with surprising life stories. In this image-filled presentation, Emily Damstra will discuss a recent project involving illustrations of Late Goldenrod as well as some of the insects and other organisms that utilize it. In addition to hearing about Emily’s research and process, learn about the two different grants that supported this project, and whether or not they might be opportunities you could explore.

Guest Speaker: Flowering Plant Diversity and Evolution

Dr. Gillespie shares her knowledge about the history and diversity of flowering plants. Flowering plants have evolved to become the most diverse and abundant group of plants. She will give an overview of the diversity and evolution of flowering plants and explore why they have become so successful. She will also discuss how new ways of studying plants are changing our understanding of their evolution and hence their classification.